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Money recommended for downtown Augusta renovation

The Downtown Develop­ment Authority of Augusta voted unanimously Thursday morning to recommend a project at 566 Broad St. for a Georgia Cities Foundation grant of $105,931.

Bryan Haltermann, a real estate developer and historic-preservation consultant, bought the building in the fall and is renovating it as a mixed-use facility. He estimated the cost of acquisition and renovation to be $264,000, but the Georgia Cities Foundation grant awards only up to 40 percent of a project’s cost.

Part of the space was formerly a car dealership and is equipped with several garage doors. Authority Treasurer Cameron Nixon said Haltermann will convert that into small rental storage spaces.

The front of the building is leased to Cafe 209, currently at 4 Eighth St. The restaurant is expected to open in the new place in the next week.